POSE OF THE DAY: HALLOWEEN CROW POSE

In honor of Halloween, the pose of the day is the always spooky Bakasana, or Crow pose. The crow pose is the first step to more challenging poses like headstands and parsva bakasana. It's a wonderful pose to strengthen arms, wrists, and abdominal muscles.

1.

Start in squatting Tadasana with your inner feet apart. Part your knees wider than your hips and bend the torso forward, between the inner thighs. Stretch your arms forward, then bend your elbows, place your hands on the floor and the backs of the upper arms against the shins.

2.

Nestle your inner thighs against the sides of your torso, cradle your shins into your armpits, and drop the upper arms down as low onto the shins as possible. Lift up onto the balls of your feet and lean forward even more. Keep your tailbone as close to your heels as possible.

3.

Inhale deeply, leaning forward even more onto the backs of your upper arms, so that the balls of your feet lift off the floor. If you're a beginner, you can stay here, or move forward to step #4.

4.

Breathe in deeply, press the inner hands firmly to the floor and straighten the elbows. Knees should be pressed against your inner thighs.

5.

While keeping the head in a neutral position, gently gaze forward a few inches from your matt. Breathe deeply.

6.

Stay in crow pose as long as you wish. To release, slowly exhale your breath and place the feet gently on the floor into a squatting position.